Chapter 7- How Can We Respond In A Diverse Society?

Question 1

What are the immigration policies to manage socio-cultural diversity?

Answer 1

1. ASSIMILATION IN FRANCE
   - In a policy of assimilation, immigrants are expected to adopt the beliefs and practices of the majority grp in the host country.
   - For example in France:
   a) All french citz believe in secularism. It is the clear separation of religion from governance. Immigrants are not allowed to openly display their religion in public spaces.
   b) Naturalisation process consists of immigrants taking French Language classes and programmes to learn french culture and ways of life. They then need to pass a language and culture test to be eligible for citzship.
   c) Education. Schools do not allow students to wear religious symbols such as the cross or headscarf, and do not usually discuss religion. Instead, immigrants learn french language and mix with local students.
2. INTEGRATION IN SG
   -In a policy of integration, immigrants retain their unique identities while forging common ground.
   A)Naturalisation Initiatives.
   -Example: The Singapore Naturalisation Journey (SCJ) is a naturalisation initiative that is a mandatory programme for all new citz. They take online courses to learn about SG and a half-day tour to exp. our hist. and culture, and attend local sharing sessions to interact with locals.
   B) Common Experiences. Singapore share common experiences by having NS and SPR quota for HDBs
   -Examples:
   a) National Service (NS).
   -All male adult Sgreans of diverse backgrounds have to serve National Service (NS) together.
   -They go thru common exp. of tough training and learning to put the country before themselves.
   b) Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR) Quota.
   -Limits the proportion of non-Malaysian PR in the HDB blocks and estates
   -Tgt with racial EIP Quotas, they prevent the formation of enclaves.
   C)Community Support.
   -Example: Community Integration Fund (CIF).
   -A gov. fund to support ground-up integration initiatives, and community activities like festive celebrations or volunteering projects.
   -Also started mobile app “SG Sauce” that provides users w info. about SGrean way of life.

Question 2

What are the tensions from immigration policies?

Answer 2

1. ASSIMILATION IN FRANCE
   -The assimilation policy has led to tensions between emphasising the French nationality against allowing the French nationality to display their own racial or religious identity.
   -Example: Burkini Ban. Burkinis are a type of modest swimwear sometimes worn by muslim women.
   Some french cities have banned burkinis from being worn at their beaches as it is seen as an open display religion, which goes against the French principle of secularism.
2. INTEGRATION IN SINGAPORE
   -The integration policy in Singapore has led to tensions as some locals feel that immigrants have not integrated sufficiently, leading to the dilution of national identity.
   -Example: Curry Incident.
   A Chinese immigrant family complained against their Indian neighbours for the strong smell from their cooking of curry. Their conflict had to be solved through mediation and it was agreed that the Indian family would only cook curry when the Chinese immigrant family was not at home.

Question 3

What are the healthcare policies to manage socio-economic diversity?

Answer 3

1. MARKET-BASED APPROACH (UNITED STATES)
   - Healthcare prices determined by free market and there is little government intervention
   - Most Americans rely on medical insurance, which may be provided as part of their employment package
   - Gov. provides medical insurance for lower SES groups who cannot afford their own insurance, through Medicare and Medicaid
   - The Emergency Medical Treatment Active Labor Act (EMTALA) ensures that everyone will receive emergency treatment even if they are uninsured
2. SHARED RESPONSIBILITY APPROACH (SINGAPORE)
   -Balance btw personal responsibility and the government’s role to provide healthcare
   A) Gov. Role:
   -Provide heavy subsidies for healthcare. Lower to middle income grps receive additional means tested subsidies.
   -Provide 3Ms. All working SGreans have Medisave, a compulsory medical savings account. They must also purchase Medishield Life, a health insurance plan. Medifund serves as the gov. safety net for needy SGreans who cannot afford their bills.
   -Pioneer Gen. enjoy extra subsidies and medisave top-ups to cover healthcare costs.
   B)Personal Role:
   -The Health Promotion Board (HPB) encourages individuals to maintain a healthy diet through the Healthier Choice Symbol and the Healthy Meals in School Programme.
   -Encourage physical activity by distributing fitness trackers and prizes in the National Steps Challenge
   -Individuals can also choose cheaper drugs and treatments when seeing a doctor to ensure cost-effectiveness.
3. GOVERNMENT-FINANCED APPROACH (SWEDEN)
   - Gov. provides substantial subsidies and services for most of the healthcare needs of its citizens
   - Believes in universal access to healthcare regardless of SES
   - Public healthcare is gov. owned and ppl only pay nominal sum
   - Private insurance is supplementary and optional due to good coverage of public healthcare.

Question 4

What are the challenges to keep healthcare affordable?

Answer 4

1. MARKET BASED APPROACH (UNITED STATES)
   A)High cost and poor coverage of insurance.
   -Medical insurance premiums higher in US as companies are free to charge higher prices for profit.
   -Unemployed and those working in smaller firms may thus not have any insurance coverage due to unaffordable premiums.
   -Insurance companies are also free to exclude coverage to unhealthy individuals with pre-existing conditions.
2. SHARED RESPONSIBILITY APPROACH (SINGAPORE)
   A)Growing demand for healthcare
   -SG faces growing pop. as immigrant no. increase, and an ageing pop. as elderly no. increase.
   -SGreans also tend to lead more sedentary lifestyles

B)Rising Healthcare costs

• Global healthcare inflation means that healthcare costs are rising everywhere.
• As SG more developed, more SGreans request for better or “branded” drugs and treatment.

3. GOVERNMENT-FINANCED APPROACH (SWEDEN)
   A) High Taxation
   -Consists of Income tax and Value Added Tax (VAT)
   -Needed to sustain government-financed system
   -Ageing pop. also means that tax burden falls in a smaller grp of working citz.
   B)Growing demand for healthcare
   -Facing an increasing inflow of immigrants and citz frm other European Union (EU) countries.
   -Allowed to consume healthcare services without paying taxes.